It has been since April that I have had a hike of any significance. My muscles have probably atrophied, my cardiovascular fitness declined. There has been a series of unfortunate events, each one reducing my hiking time.

Trying to get back into the swing of things. Last Saturday did a little out and back of maybe 5 miles. Couple of miles on a trail then maybe half mile cross country. Found myself reclining in the shade of a majestic Jeffrey (I think) pine looking up at the sky.

There were clouds up there. Day after day of endless blue skies with nary a white patch to disturb the uniformity gets boring. I grew up in a land where Cumulus humilis, the fair weather cloud dominated the sky but here in southern California I have come to consider barren blue to be the norm. It is the curse of the desert.

Not more than a thousand feet overhead a friendly cumulus drifted into sight and then evaporated before my eyes.

In a different direction, I saw a high cirrus cloud, several miles up, being slowly ripped apart and spun around over the course of a half hour. The wind at opposite ends of the cloud looked like they were blowing in opposite directions.

I think I spent an hour beneath that pleasant tree just watching the clouds go by. I am retired so I am allowed to consider that a successful day.